St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
WAR PANORAMAS.
How q Great Battle Painting is
Made.
Work That Calls for Judgment and
Skill.
Christmas St. Nicholas.

ground is always prepared before the Ie-
ceipt of the picture. The chief artist and
the mechanical instructor have superin-
tended the construction of the platforms,
following the irregular line indicated both
on the first drawing and the panaroma. All
the lumber that is used is treated with a
composition of silicate, to keep out moist
ure, and to make it fire-proof. Hundreds
of loads of earth have been carted into the
building; quantities of lumber, trees, both
living and dead, together with collection
of fence rails, bushes, sods, logs. and
variety of camp equipage, are piled about
ready for use. The platforms are the
groundwork for the earth and sod, which
are very skillfully joined to their painted
semblances on the canvas; bushes and trees
are planted; earthworks and log camps
are built; everything is done with
careful intent to make the foreground and
painting appear as on the whole landscape,
and so to join the two in meaning and color
IS to make it nearly impossible for spec
;ator to determine at any point which is
The real and which the painted scene. This
work calls for very careful Judgment. as it
is necessary to settle the exact relation in
size which real objects shall bear to those
in the painting. An ordinary cap or hat
placed upon the foreground near the can
vas would seem prodigious, though the same
hat, thrown on the ground near the plat
form occupied by the spectator, would not
attract notice. The entire foreground must,
therefore, be arranged to aid the perspective
of the painting, so that when the panorama
is ready for exhibition even the artist, who
has constantly labored to attain that very
result, finds difficulty in realizing that the
scene spread before him is painted upon
Iuh forty
feet distant from his eye.
1.-The central platform is, of course, the
standpoint from which visitors will view
the panorama-and therefore the artists are
obliged to go to it frequently as the painting
nearS completion, in order to observe the
effects and progress of their work.
This, too, is the place of conference. and
despite the sign of mo Admittance,"
within and without, visitors are frequent
and usually welcome. These visitors are
often veteran soldiers who took part in the
action represented, and who often make
helpful suggestions.
The army stories that are told on the CEN
trail platform, when old soldiers meet and
discuss the old days. would, if collected
make prodigious volume. The floor of
the platform is chalked and rechalkej with
diagrams. some referring to the panorama
itself, bnt more to Illustrate occurrences
upon other fields. The strong pine railing
surrounding the platform is penciled all
over with kindred decorations while scraps
of paper upon which are memoranda of
incidents and variety Of data. as well as
names and addresses, are pinned to the con-
venient timber with thumb-tacks. %
The artists paint steadily, every individ-
ual being mainly occupied in perfecting his,
own work, though never hesitating to ask
or extend aid in some special direction. One,
artist, for instance, has an excellent figure.
of a mounted officer. all complete except
ing the portrait. photograph Of which is
pinned to the canvas. While this artist
goes to strengthen line of battle, another
one will rapidly paint in an admirable por-
trait for the incomplete figure. Soon,
another brush is busy with the horse, while
still another artist calls for some special
saddle and bride to be brought to the plat
form that he may paint the trappings.
Now. look at the back of the photograph
which is pinned to the canvaS-a faded
carte de viSite Of q young officer; upon a
slip of paper we read the following: Col
Onel K, now on General Sheridan's staff;
then captain, General Thomas staff, II Az
(meaning the section II. square AZ of the
panorama); French cap, blouse, captains
suaps-staff-d blue trousers, gold cord,
cavalry staff sword. McClelan's saddle:
Shabrack-black horse; see sketch"
This instance will give an idea of the
way in which facts are preserved when a
panorama is painted by artists who consci-
entiously strive to make of the work great
historical painting.
The question is frequently asked, what
paints do the artists use in painting the
battle panoramas?" Only colors of the
best quality are used, such as are used by
an artist in his work upon fine oil paint
ing. The color is, of course, purchased in
very large quantities: as an instance, for
the panorama in which l was interested,
the rich yellowish paint. known as cad
MUM, cost 5000, and was contained in four
tin cans, each the size of an ordinary peach
can. An amusing incident occurred in this
connection during the painting of one of
the panOramaS.
When the composition is drawn, the
general plan for that part of the cyclorama
known as the foreground, which is COM
posed of natural objects, is also thought
out. 1t is then settled what portions of the
great canvas will be hidden by the fore
ground of natural objects, such as real
earthworks, mounds of soft-covered earth,
the log breaStworks. Usually that part of
the canvas is left without color, except such
fanciful sketches as the artists may paint
for studio view only. A portion of our
picture 1.-THE Battle of Missionary RIDGE"
was left thus blank and bare, and was most
disturbing to the German professor who
was the chief artist. His eye was so dis
tracted and troubled by it that he one day
directed some of the lettering models to
take some color "any color" he said, land
scumble over the surface to tone it down."
The models dressed as Union and con-
faJa oil md IND,
triously for twenty minutes, when it was
suddenly discovered that they had emptied
three fifty-dollar cans of cadmium and
were opening the fourth. A alf-dollars
worth of cheap house paint would have
been better, tor no preparation had been
used to make the cadmium dry, and it was
still soft when the panorama was sent for
exhibition to Chicago. What the artists
said when they discovered the models mis-
take was not phain to me, as it was spoken
in German. but know that they all talked
at the same time and very vigorously.
The curiosity of visitors to the various
great battle panoramas seems to have no
end. Many suspect that an immense plate
of glass is placed between the spectator and
the canvas; and some persons have even
thrown objects with sufficient force to go
thrice the distance from the platform to the
canvas, for the purpose, as they said, of test
ing the glass. OF course, there is no glass
nor any other means of deception than the
simple arrangements here described. The
largest figures on the canvas are between
three and four feet high, though they seem
to be full life size
A certain inquiSitive old lady, visiting
one of the earliest of these panoramas-
The Battle of Sedan''-helpedh herself over
the platform rail by means of convenient